Tax changes could wither in stalemate

"Wage earners" as a class are being replaced by a class of "recipients of government largesse." Doesn't appear to be much future in being a wage earner. They will be taxed into the "recipient" class before too long.

A party for wage earners - that is what the Democrats campaign for...

We need a new political party for wage earners.

Well, unions are associations or groups that lobby and fight for wage earners...

And we all know that Perdue and the Democrats are in the sleeping bag with the NCAE and SEANC

Perhaps the unions need to go...

You nailed one aspect of it melted.

Notice that this fiscal crisis is so lame that the legislature took the weekend off. Nothing says you're being lied to more than a group that cries wolf - and then takes vacation, leaving people to fret over things that don't exist. NC's legislators are purveyors of the wet blanket.

That's the way it's done. "Oh my, I do so fret about the state's money problems that I almost forgot to take a vacation." These are a wretched bunch. We are so skirude.

Neither party is interested in overhauling N.C.'s tax code. Why hasn't anyone mentioned the sales tax exemptions currently in place (ex. the Murphy law exempting about everything you can imagine that goes on a chicken or hog farm, how about the exemption for telecommunications equipment, etc.) The tax code is already pro business instead of pro employee. Take a look at all the deductions in the income tax code for businesses and compare that to the deductions allowed for a wage earner. We need a new political party for wage earners.

melted says:

"If they stay in session till the end of September (which they do most years), that will be 66 days since July 1 (not counting weekends ..."

not sure where you get that adjournment is at the end of September "most" years, because for what it's worth, other than one or two day special sessions, adjournments the last six years were:
http://www.ncleg.net/library/Documents/LegStats1965-2008.pdf
2008 July 18
2007 August 2
2006 July 28
2005 September 2
2004 July 18
2003 July 20

melted also said:
"The legislators supposedly go to Raleigh in January so lets give them the benefit of the doubt and say they go to work January 12th."

another factoid, the session (and thus per diem) started January 28

And the general assembly itself adds $17,600 per day to the budget deficit. Each member of the general assembly pockets $104 per day in per diem for every day they are in session and there are 170 members of the general assembly. If they stay in session till the end of September (which they do most years), that will be 66 days since July 1 (not counting weekends), so the wasteful cost to the taxpayer would be $1,166,000. Doing away with per diem after June 30th would be incentive to go to Raleigh, get the state's business done and go back home. It could be done but the legislators have no incentive to leave Raleigh when they know they can pocket $6,864 each for 66 extra days of work. The legislators supposedly go to Raleigh in January so lets give them the benefit of the doubt and say they go to work January 12th. This means for every possible working day during the week from Jan. 12th - June 30, each legislator pockets $12,688. Add their salary of over $14,000 apiece and that is a cool $26,688 each legislator costs the taxpayer. Then when they stay in Raleigh till the end of September, add another $6,864 to that figure and you get $33552.00 paid to each legislator which turns out to be a taxpayer bill of $5,70,3840.00. And this money is in addition to what the general assembly members earn in their private businesses which applies to most of the legislative members. No bad for people making out like a bandit with taxpayer money.

According to the Fiscal Research Division at the General Assembly and the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management, state spending for the 2008-2009 fiscal year ending June 30 will be $20.3 billion including federal stimulus funds. Revenue availability for 2009-2010 at existing tax rates is projected to be $17.8 billion. The state will also have an additional $1.381 billion in federal stimulus funds making total availability for 2009-2010 $19.181 billion without any increase in taxes or fees.

The actual “budget gap” or shortfall for 2009-2010 is approximately
$1.125 billion. This substantially less than $4 billion shortfall that Democrats have been claiming. Democrats come to the $4 billion shortfall
figure by coming from a projected spending number—an amount that has NEVER been spent and is about $3 billion more than will actually be spent in the current fiscal year.

$1.125 billion is about 5 percent of total current
state General Fund spending .

This is BS, democrats run NC, the pretence that democrats need republicans to pass legislation is not exhibited in reality.

Surprising there was no mention of the price of tea in China... another insignficant issue having nothing to do with taxes.

Gotta hand it to author though, the slight mention of republican intent elevates the meaningless into the discussion.

What a well written and very clear article:

Statement #1: "We're back to philosophical differences," said Sen. David Hoyle, a Gastonia Democrat...."

Statement #2: "Republicans won't go along with any plan because they say raising taxes is the wrong message from Democrats...."

And that folks is the philosophical difference. Our Democratic brethren and sisterern think that the answer to any problem is raising taxes while the Republicans think maybe taking a look at what we are spending might be the first step.

And thence you get "logic," otherwise known as common sense, colliding with "philosophy." It's hard on a playa........